Vending machine



Feb. 4, 1941. c, GABRIELSEN 2,230,401

VENDING MACHINE Filed Feb. 6, 1940 4 Sheets-Sheet l 1 INVENTOR W MMZW Feb. 4, 1941. Q AB I SEN 2,230,401

VENDING MACHINE Filed Feb. 6, 1940 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 .373 l I i- 5/ BY I I ATTORNEYS Feb. 4, 1941. c. GABRIELSEN VENDING MACHINE Filed Feb. 6, 1940 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 lNVENTOR r FORNEYS Feb.'4, 1941. c. GABRIELSEN 2,230,401

' VENDING MACHINE Filed Feb. 6, 1940 4 Sheets-Shee at 4 616' I Z II IIYENTOR BY I Afi'roRNEz I Patented Feb. 4, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE VENDING MACHINE,

Application February 6, 1940, Serial No. 317,466

4 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in vending machines.

It is an object of the invention to provide, in

a machine in which articles are dispensed successively from the bottom of any of a number of containers in stacks by selectively operating the delivery means associated with the desired stack, means for readily adapting the machine to the delivery of articles having different sizes and shapes. In this aspect the invention is an improvement upon the machine disclosed in my previous application Serial No. 242,907, filed November 29, 1938.

It is also an object of the invention to provide improved locking mechanism in a machine of the type indicated and in this aspect the present invention also constitutes an improvement upon my said previous application.

A further object of the invention is to provide means for holding single stacks of relatively long articles for ejection by any of a series of adjacent delivery mechanisms or alternatively to substitute for any of said stacks a plurality of stacks of relatively short articles, ejecting articles from the said stacks of shorter articles in rotation or succession.

With these and other objects which will appear in the following description in mind, the invention consists in the combination-s and arrangements of parts and details of construction which will now first be described in connection with the accompanying drawings and then pointed out more particularly in the appended claims.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a vending machine with the outer casing partly broken away to reveal the working parts within and showing a pre-' ferred embodiment of the invention as applied to a machine intended primarily for vending chew- 40 mg Fig. 2 1s a vertlcal section taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a vertical section taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. "3 but showing the parts in a different position preparatory to ejection of an article;

Fig. 5 is a detail of the lower portion of Fig. 3 with parts removed to show more clearly the con- 50 struction of certain elements;

Fig. 6 is a rear View of the parts shown in Fig. 5;

Figs. 7 and 8 are similar to Figs. 3 and 4 but illustrate the columns adapted to delivery of relatively long articles;

Fig. 9 is an enlarged side view of a portion of Fig. '7

Fig. 10 is a plan view of Fig. 9;

Fig. 11 is a view of the lower portion of Fig. 7 with parts exploded to show the manner of 'removal of a container;

Fig. 12 is a plan view of Fig. 2;

Fig. 13 is a section taken on the line l3l3 of Fig. 1 and of Fig. 14 and showing a clip for holding a column of articles in position within the machine;

Fig. 14 is a plan view of the parts shown in Fig. 13;

Fig. 15 is a section partly broken away and taken on the line I5l 5 of Fig. 2 and showing the lock bar mechanism and delivery mechanism; and

Fig. 16 is a view similar to Fig. 15 but showing the parts in dilTerent position.

Referring now to Fig. 1, the machine is enclosed within a casing I having a front cover or panel 2 attached to it by hinges 3 and having an aperture to accommodate a panel 4, which supports a plurality of handles 5 for actuating the delivery mechanism about to be described and is formed with an opening 6 for delivery of articles to the purchaser. In the embodiment illustrated, there are five of the handles 5, each adapted to deliver an article by rocking it as indicated by the dotted lines on the central handle 0 in Fig. 1. Associated with each of the handles 5 by mechanism described later, is a column 1 or 8, the former being adapted to storing and delivering relatively short articles, as indicated in Fig. 2, and the latter being adapted todeliver relatively long articles as indicated in Figs. 7 to 10. As illustrated, the left-hand two of the five columns are adapted to delivering short articles, and the right-hand three columns are adapted to delivering long articles. It will be understood, however, that any or all of these columns might be of one or the other type depending upon the desires of the user of the machine.

Referring now particularly to the columns I, each column comprises an open-ended chute 9 which may be conveniently formed of sheet metal and which is divided by cross partitions W into three sections. Each of the cross partitions carries a flange II and an end flange i2 is provided, forming means for holding three stacks of articles, as best shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 12. The rear partition Hi and front flange l2 are attached by means of plates l3 and M respectively toa member l5 adapted to seat within plates it and ll, described later, and to rest upon a member 55 I8 also described later in more detail. The upper part of the chute 9 bears a clip l9 adapted to be slid under a spring clip 28 by a rearward motion and to stop against an angle 2|, these latter parts being fastened, as best shown in Figs. 1, 13 and 14, to a back plate 22 of the machine. Each of the columns bears intermediate its length a pair of projections 23 extending forwardly and rearwardly, as best shown in Figs. 1 and 2, and a strap spring 24 fastened to the chute wall at its upper end. A delivery arm 25 adapted to slide under the spring 24 is provided and has cut-out portions 26 at its upper end adapted to receive the projections 23, as shown in Fig. 1. The lower portion of the delivery member 25 is formed with an angle 21 having notches 21, best shown in Figs. 2 and 12, to accommodate partitions l0 and certain cams, later described. Partial rotation of the member 25 about projections 23 against the pressure of spring 24 from the position of Fig. 3 to that of Fig. 4 and the return of the member 25 to the position of Fig. 3 will eject the lowermost article of the stack, pushing it past a spring 28 carried on flange II and permitting it to fall downwardly to a position where it is accessible through the delivery opening 6 (Fig. 1).

Means is provided for delivering articles in succession from the three sub-compartments of the column 1 and comprises a cam shaft 29 journaled in a recess in the front plate l6 and at the bottom of a curved slot 39 in the rear plate 11 previously referred to. The shaft is retained in position axially by disc 3| (Figs. 2 and 6), to the rear of plate l1, and triangular cam 32, to the front of the plate (Fig. 5). It is retained against the bottom of the curved slot 39 by a spring 33 pressing against the triangular cam 32 which also serves to providethree angularly distinct positions for the shaft, separated from each other by Carried on shaft 29 are three supporting cams 34, each having a straight edge at right angles to one of the faces of the triangular cam 32 and being elsewhere circular. As best shown in Figs. 2, 3 and 4, the straight surfaces 35 of the cams 34 are in consequence set in positions on shaft 29 differing by angles of 120. Rotation of any of the cams 34 to a position where its straight surface 35 is uppermost positions the cam surface below the surface of plate l5, permitting an article above it to descend, as shown in Fig. 4, preparatory to ejection and delivery by member 25. In this position, however, a circular portion of the other two cams upon the shaft 29 will be uppermost, holding the associated sub-columns of articles up above angle 21 so that 'return of the member 25 to the position of Fig. 3 will eject but the one article. As is apparent, a step by step rotation of shaft 29 at each operation of the delivery member 25 will result in successive ejection of one article from one of the three sub-compartments of the container at each operation of the delivery member 25.

The synchronization of the rotation of shaft 29 with the movements of member 25 is accomplished by means of three studs 36 upon the disc 3| and a toe 31 pivotally mounted at 38 at the lower end of member 25. As best shown in Figs. 6 and 2, toe 31 is provided with an angle 39 resting against the lower end of member 25 along surface 40 positioned below the pivot point 38. As is apparent, a. clockwise rotation of the toe 31 (viewed as in Fig. 6) relative to member 25 is possible but a counter-clockwise rotation is prevented. In consequence, a movement of member 25 from the position of Fig. 3 to that of Fig. 4, which is to say to the right in Fig. 6, will carry the toe 31 to the right of a pin 36 upon disc 3| while the return motion will engage the pin 36 rotating disc 3| and the attached cam shaft 29 counterclockwise through approximately 120, the precise rotation of 120 being insured by spring 33 and triangular cam 32 previously referred to, and best shown in Fig. 5.

When it is desired to associate with any of the handles 5 a stack of relatively long articles, this is accomplished by removing the column 1 and inserting instead one of the columns 8. Each column8 comprises, as before, a metallic chute 9, having a front flange |2, as before, but being bent around to form a rear wall 4| and side wall 42 to which is attached a retaining strap spring 43 under which the articles are ejected, this forming a single elongated compartment instead of three sub-compartments as in the case of the container 1. Under each column 8 is fastened by means of front and rear plates 44 and 45 a member 46 similar to member |5 but without slots to accommodate cams 34- The column 8 so constructed is inserted in the machine similarly to the column I. Since no sub-compartments are provided, the cam shaft 29 and attached parts are removed prior to insertion of column 8, this being accomplished readily by lifting the rearward end of the shaft 29 up out of slot 39 and extracting the shaft bodily. Projections 41 are provided for supporting delivery members 48 which are provided with angles 49 for ejection of the articles. As the articles, in addition to being longer than those delivered from the sub-compartments of the container 1, may also be thinner, the projections 41 are advantageously placed at a higher point in the column and the arm 48 made longer thanin the case of the corresponding projections-and arms 23 and 25, as indicated in Fig. 1. This increase in the radius about which the angle 49 turns decreases the vertical clearance necessary for its movement. As shown in Figs. 7 and 8, the arm 48 thus serves to support a stack of articles within the column, movement of this arm (to the left) into the dotted line position of Fig. '7 permits the stack of articles to descend until it is supported by member 46, and a return to the full line position of Fig. '7, as shown in Fig. 8, ejects the lowermost article against and under spring 43.

The columns I or 8 are operated from handles 5 by actuating mechanism which is the same in both cases and will now be described. As best shown in Figs. 2, 15 and 16, each handle 5 is attached to a stub shaft 5|] journaled in a. bushing 5| formed on plate 4 and carries a cam 52 attached to it by key 53 and screw 54, as best shown in Fig. 16. The cam 52 is formed with a surface 55 engaging in the position of Fig. 15 a stop bar 56 attached to the rear of plate 4, this serving to prevent an initial rotation in the clockwise direction of Figs. 15 and 16 (counterclockwise in Fig. 1) Cam 52 carries also an arm 51 generally parallel to shaft 50 and adapted to cooperate with lock bar 58 and actuating fork 59 which controls the delivery of articles from the associated column. Lock bar 58 is carried by means of a pair of slots 69 upon studs 6| attached to plate 4, permitting a sliding movement of the bar 58 along plate 4. To one end of the bar is provided a spring 92 engaged in a notch 63 upon the bar and affixed to plate 4 by a screw 64 and pin 65, this springserving to bias the lock bar and associated parts to the left in Figs.

15 and 16. Means to compel a complete movement in both directions of the bar 58 at each attempted operation is provided and comprises a ratchet pawl 66 pivoted to plate .4 at 61 and biased to an upright position by spring 68 attached to plate 4 at 69. The bar 58 is formed with teeth 18 adapted to engage pawl 68 upon movement of the bar. As will be observed, movement of the bar 58 will produce, through teeth 10, a clockwise rotation of pawl 66 about its pivot, preventing a return of bar 58 until the teeth 70 have all passed the pawl (position of Fig. 16) at which time a return movement of the bar 58, requiring a counterclockwise rotation of pawl 66, can be accomplished.

Lock bar 58 is provided with a seriesof depressions and ab-utments to cooperate with the arms 51 upon cams 52. These comprise, in each case, a driving abutment 1i extending relatively high and adapted to be engaged by the associated arm 51 when in the position of Fig. 15 and permitting the said arm, during the rotation of the cam 52, to move the lock bar 58 to the right, as shown in Fig. 16. To the left of abutment H is provided a clearance slot 12 to accommodate the arm 51 as before mentioned, and to the left of this an upwardly facing abutment 13 which, by interfering with the movement of the associated arm 51, prevents rotation of cam 52 when the lock bar 58 has been moved by the arm 51 associated with another of the cams 52. This mechanism effectively prevents the operation of any of the cams 52 when one has been partially rotated. It will be understood that, in operation, means will also be employed for preventing a simultaneous starting movement of two of the handles and associated cams 52. This however, forms no part of the present invention and mechanism such as shown in my copending application Serial No. 242,907 or other desired mechanisms may be employed.

With the lock bar 58 there may be associated in the usual way coin control locking mechanism, this being indicated diagrammatically by a bell crank 14 (Figs. 1, 15, 16) pivoted to the plate 4 at 15 and attached at one end to a link 76, shown as broken away, and engaging at the other an angle 11 upon lock bar 58. As will be apparent, there may be attached to the link 16 any desired coin control mechanism.

The actuating fork 59 associated with each of the handles 5 is pivoted upon plate 4 at 18 (Figs. 2, 15 and 16) and provided at its upper end with a recess 19 adapted to receive a downwardly depending projection 80 of the associated delivery member 25 or 48, asthe case may be. Rotation of the fork about pivot 18 serves to move the associated member 25 or 48 from the position of Fig. 3 or '7 to the left into the position of Fig. 4.- or the dotted line position of Fig. 7 and back, to deliver the lowermost article from a sub-compartment of the associated container 1 or compartment of the container 8, as the case may be. This operative movement of the fork 59 is accomplished by arm 51, previously referred to, this arm being received in a slot or aperture 8| in the fork 59, this havin a portion 82 substantially concentric about the axis of shaft 50 and a second portion 83 directed upwardly, as best shown in Fig. 15. During the initial rotation of the handle 5 the arm 51 travels in the concentric part 82 ofthe slot without effecting movement of the fork 59. However, upon reaching the end of this portion of the slot, the arm 51 engages the "3 upwardly directed portion 83, rotating the fork 59 from the position of Fig. 15 to that of Fig. '16.

Upon return of the handle 5 to the starting position, the fork 59 and associated delivery member 25 or 48 return also to starting position, effecting the delivery of the desired article. The provision of the fork 59 with the slot 19 permits sufiicient clearance so that the same delivery mechanism associated with a given handle may engage either a member 25 pivoted about a relatively short radius or a member 48 pivoted about a relatively long radius, the extent of travel .of the ejecting angle, 21 or 49 respectively, of the members being substantially the same.

Means is provided in connection with the fork 59 for locking a given compartment when the supply of articles is exhausted. Each of .the columns 8 may contain a weight 84 resting on the top of the stack of articles therein and having a pin 85 projecting therefrom. Upon emptying of the column the pin 85 reaches a level where it enters notch 86 in the arm 59, thus preventing rotation. In consequence the associated handle 5 may be rotated only through the angle re quired to bring the attached arm 51 to the upwardly slanted portion 83 of the slot in the arm 59. The parts are so diminished that this movement will not bring the teeth 19 on lock bar 58 into engagement with pawl 66 and return of the handle 5 may be accomplished. In the case of the container 1 having three compartments, a plurality of weights 81 may be provided, one for each short compartment, the front one of these being provided with a pin 88 adapted to enter notch 86.

What is claimed is:

1. In a vending machine, and in combination, an alined series of delivery mechanisms, an alined series of removable and interchangeable article container and delivery devices, each held adjacent one of said delivery mechanisms and operatively connected to the said delivery mechanism, certain of the said devices comprising means for holding a single stack of articles and successively ejecting an article from said stack at each operation of the delivery mechanism connected thereto, and certain of said devices comprising a plurality of subcompartments disposed in alinement transversely of the said series of delivery mechanisms, and means for ejecting articles one at a time and in rotation from said subcompartments at each operation of the delivery mechanism connected thereto.

2. In a vending machine, and in combination, an alined series of delivery mechanisms, each including an actuating member and article container holding means, an alined series of removable and interchangeable article containers, each held by one of said holding means and each including an article ejector operatively engaged by one of said actuating members, certain of the said containers comprising means for holding a single stack of articles and successively ejecting an article from said stack at each operation of the associated article ejector, and certain of said containers comprisin a plurality of subcompartments disposed in alinement transversely of the said series of delivery mechanisms, and means for ejecting articles one at a time and in rotation from said subcompartments at each operation of the associated actuating member engaged by the article ejector thereof.

3. In a vending machine, and in combination, an alined series of delivery mechanisms, each ineluding an actuating member and article container holding means, an alined series of removable and interchangeable article containers, each held by one of said holding means and each including an article ejector operatively engaged by one of said actuating members, certain of the said containers comprisin means for holding a single stack of articles and successively ejecting an article from said stack at each operation of the associated article ejector, and certain of said containers comprising a plurality of subcompartments disposed in alinement transversely of the said series of delivery mechanisms, and means for positioning articles from said subcompartments one at a time and in rotation for ejection by the associated article ejector at each operation thereof.

4. The combination according to claim 3, in which the said means for positioning articles for ejection comprises for each container having a plurality of subcompartments a shaft positioned therebelow, a cam fixed to said shaft below each sub-compartment and comprising a high portion adapted to support a stack of articles above and out of the path of movement of the associated article ejector and a low portion adapted to permit such stack to descend into a position where its lowermost article is in the said path of movement, the said cam low portions being disposed in angularly distinct positions around said shaft, and means for rotating said shaft to bring one of said cam low portions uppermost at eachoperation of the associated article ejector.

CHRISTIAN GABRIELSEN. 

